The 15-member council unanimously approved the one-page letter to Huntsman expressing concerns about possible discrimination because of Senate Bill 227, which provides for a "driving privilege card" for undocumented immigrants instead of a driver license.

The letter was stuck Monday in a 6-inch high "To Read" pile on the governor's desk. The governor's spokeswoman, Tammy Kikuchi, said she did not know if Huntsman had read the letter before he signed the measure on March 8.

The letter said the "many who contribute to the greatness of this state" could be at risk of being exposed to "the greater evils of racial profiling and discrimination, which will likely be generated by SB227."

Gonzalo Palza, a council member, said he understands that Huntsman is not always going to agree with the Latino community, but he wishes the governor would have listened to the council and not signed the bill.

"This happened so fast, so quickly," Palza said.

The council, which was formed in 1973, is appointed by the governor, but current members were named by former governors. The group's responsibility is to advise the governor and state agencies about issues concerning the Latino community, such as SB227, said council members.

"There was no outreach," Palza said. "If they would have approached it with more sensitivity, the community would have reacted in kind."

Council member Jesse Soriano said members can't control whether Huntsman listens to them.

"We're not in the position to tell him what to do, we can just advise him," he said.

The letter, dated March 3, was signed by the council's chairwoman, Luz Robles. It was sent through inter-office mail in a brown envelope to Huntsman's office March 7, said Tracie Cayford, a spokeswoman with the Department of Community and Economic Development.

That night, roughly 2,000 adults and children marched downtown in protest of the bill. A day later, Huntsman signed the bill into law, which went into effect immediately.

Kikuchi said it is unknown when the letter arrived in Huntsman's office.

Huntsman had been outspoken in support of the bill and his position was well-known, she said.

Robles, 27, declined to talk about the letter, saying she was no longer on the council.

After four years on the council and signing the letter, Robles, 27, resigned from her post March 3. The next day, Robles was appointed by the governor as public policy and research director in the state's Office of Ethnic Affairs.

Yvette Donosso Diaz, another Huntsman appointee who oversees the ethnic offices as executive director of the Department of Community and Culture, said she hasn't spoken to Huntsman since she heard about the letter.

Still, she said Huntsman was well aware of community concerns about SB227 and other bills affecting immigrants. Diaz said the council is always free to express its opinion on issues.

"At least we have an administration who's willing to listen to the concerns of our community," she said Monday. "He's not going to agree with every minority group in the state."

jsanchez@sltrib.com